Kolkata: The newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party and Mohan Charan Majhi-led government in Odisha has renamed several schemes and programmes, which were named after former chief minister late Biju Patnaik, drawing criticism from the opposition parties.
His son, former chief minister and now leader of the Opposition in Odisha assembly, Naveen Patnaik, said that he had noticed that the government had changed the names of almost 40 schemes launched by the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government. “They (BJP) have renamed more than 40 schemes of my government as their own,” he said at the Vidhan Sabha Thursday, after Chief Minister Majhi presented the maiden budget of the BJP-led government.
One of the prominent rebranded schemes is the Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana, a modified version of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), which promises cashless medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh for nearly 96 lakh families, including Rs 10 lakh for women.
It has been named after a renowned Odia freedom fighter, social reformer and writer, who advocated for social justice, education and women empowerment. There are also several localities, public squares and colleges in the state named after Gopabandhu.
The Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) — an income-support scheme for farmers in line with Centre’s PM-Kisan scheme, which is said to have helped the BJD win the 2019 polls — will now continue, but as ‘CM-KISAN’ scheme.
‘Ama Odisha, Naveen Odisha’ was a flagship programme, launched by Naveen Patnaik in 2011, with the aim of transforming the state with respect to infrastructure, industries, agriculture and skill development by leveraging the state’s resources. It will now be known as ‘Viksit Gaon, Viksit Odisha’.
‘Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana’ has been renamed ‘Antyodaya Gruha Yojana’ to cover the low-income households in kutcha houses not covered under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Gramin. ‘Biju Setu Yojana’, under which bridges were constructed in rural areas, has been rebranded as ‘Setu Bandhan Yojana’.
‘Make in Odisha Conclave’ — a flagship biennial investment summit organised by the state government — will be called ‘Utkarsha Utkal’ (Magnificent Utkal). Utkal is the erstwhile name of Odisha.
Last week, the new government had issued a notification to change the name of the Biju Patnaik Sports Award — established in 2001-2002 to recognise exceptional contributions in the field of sports in multiple categories and presented annually on National Sports Day (29 August) — to ‘Odisha Rajya Krida Samman’.
However, it backtracked after criticism from the Opposition. CM Majhi had to clarify that there would be no change in the award’s name and also acknowledge Biju Patnaik’s contributions.
Several other schemes have been renamed. ‘Mo School’ initiative — to encourage alumni participation in the development of schools — is now ‘Panchasakha Sikhya Setu Abhiyan’. ‘Mo College’ has been renamed as ‘Ama College, Ama Gaurav’.
Odisha Millets Mission has been changed to ‘Shree Anna Abhiyan’. Scheme for distribution of laptops to meritorious students of the state, Biju Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana is ‘Godabarisha Vidyarthi Protsahana Yojana’. Ashirbad scheme — to provide financial assistance to support children who have lost their parents — has been renamed to ‘Jashoda’ scheme.
Other such initiatives include the Mission Shakti scheme, which has been repackaged with the focus to create 25 lakh ‘Lakhpati Didis’ by 2027 by establishing industrial clusters for self-help groups (SHGs).
Biju-KBK (Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi) Yojana has been renamed to KBK Bikash Yojana, dropping the name of the former chief minister. Similarly, Biju Kandhamal O Gajapati Yojana (BKGY) is now called Kandhamal O Gajapati Bikash Yojana.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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